Minimizing Vertical Length in Linked Bar Charts

TL;DR

This paper addresses the problem of minimizing the total vertical length of links in linked bar charts with fixed bar order, providing efficient algorithms for special cases and demonstrating fixed-parameter tractability for the general case.

Contribution

It introduces algorithms for minimizing link lengths in linked bar charts under various dependency structures, advancing the understanding of layout optimization.

Findings

Polynomial-time algorithm for forest-structured dependent links

Higher complexity algorithm for non-adjacent forest links

Fixed-parameter tractability in the maximum number of links per bar

Abstract

A linked bar chart is the augmentation of a traditional bar chart where each bar is partitioned into blocks and pairs of blocks are linked using orthogonal lines that pass over intermediate bars. The order of the blocks readily influences the legibility of the links. We study the algorithmic problem of minimizing the vertical length of these links, for a fixed bar order. The main challenge lies with ``dependent'' links, whose vertical link length cannot be optimized independently per bar. We show that, if the dependent links form a forest, the problem can be solved in $O(nm)$ time, for n bars and m links. If the dependent links between non-adjacent bars form a forest, the problem admits an $O(n^4m)$-time algorithm. Finally, we show that the general case is fixed-parameter tractable in the maximum number of links that are connected to one bar.